Kylie Minogue
|birth_place = Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |residence = Chelsea, London |citizenship = Australian, British |education = Camberwell High School |occupation = |years_active = 1979 - present |television = Neighbours, The Henderson Kids, Doctor Who, The Kylie Show |relatives = Dannii Minogue (sister) |extra = Musical career |genre = |yearsactive = 1987 - present |label = |website = kylie.com }} Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE (born 28 May 1968) often known simply as Kylie is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. She first achieved recognition after appearing in Australian soap Neighbours. She appeared on the show for two years, and afterwards became a recording artist and has achieved massive commercial success and critical acclaim in the entertainment industry. Born in Surrey Hills, Victoria in Australia, Minogue now works and lives in Chelsea, London. She signed to PWL in 1987 and released her first studio album Kylie the next year. In 1992, Minogue left PWL and signed with Deconstruction Records to broaden her musical and lyrical aspects and become inspired by several different musicians; these ideas created her self-titled studio album and Impossible Princess, two albums that have yield positive commentary from contemporary critics. Returning to more mainstream dance-oriented music, Minogue signed to Parlophone and released "Spinning Around", which was heralded as a welcome return to prominence. Her 2001 single "Can't Get You Out of My Head" became one of the most successful singles during the 2000s period, selling nearly six million units, recognized as her "signature song" and was voted as the most catchiest song ever. Her album ''Fever'' (2001) was a hit in many countries, including the US, a market in which Minogue had previously received little recognition. Throughout her career, Minogue has released many successful singles, including "The Loco-Motion", "Especially For You", "Better the Devil You Know", "Confide in Me", "Spinning Around", "Slow", "2 Hearts", "All the Lovers" and "Timebomb". Her most recent effort, Kylie Christmas, was released in October 2015. Kylie Minogue's public image has became a significant aspect throughout the media. In 2005, while Minogue was on her Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. After treatment, she resumed the tour under the title Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour, which critics viewed it as a "triumph". Minogue resumed work as an actress and appeared in films Moulin Rouge! (2001), Jack & Diane and Holy Motors (2012) which met mixed reviews. In 2014, appeared as a judge on the third series of The Voice UK and The Voice Australia. Minogue's own musical company Darenote has been registered throughout all her endorsed products, musical recordings and her own range of home ware. Minogue has achieved worldwide record sales of more than 70 million, and has received notable music awards. She has mounted several successful and critically acclaimed concert world tours and received a Mo Award for "Australian Entertainer of the Year" for her live performances. She was appointed by the French Government as a Chevalier (knight) of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, the junior grade of France's highest cultural honour, for her contribution to the enrichment of French culture. Minogue was awarded an honorary Doctor of Health Science (D.H.Sc.) degree by Anglia Ruskin University in the United Kingdom for her work in raising awareness for breast cancer. In November 2011, on the 25th anniversary of the ARIA Music Awards, Minogue was inducted by the Australian Recording Industry Association into the ARIA Hall of Fame. Life and Career 1968-86: Early life and career beginnings Kylie Ann Minogue was born 28 May 1968 in Melbourne, Australia, the oldest child of Ronald Charles Minogue, an accountant of Irish ancestry and a Welsh mother, Carol Ann (née Jones), a former dancer from Maesteg, Wales. Jones had lived in Wales up until age ten when her mother and father, Denis and Millie Jones, decided to move to Australia for a better living. Through her maternal line, Kylie has an English grandmother. She is the oldest of three children, born between 1968 and 1971; middle brother Brendan is a news cameraman in Australia, while youngest sibling Dannii Minogue is also a pop singer and television host. The Minogue family had constantly moved around various suburbs in Melbourne in order to sustain their living expenses and, according to Kylie, she found it unsettling as a child. The Minogue children were raised in Surrey Hills, Melbourne, and educated at Camberwell High School. The Minogue sisters began their careers as children on Australian television. From the age of 11, Kylie appeared in small roles in soap operas such as The Sullivans and Skyways, and in 1985 was cast in one of the lead roles in The Henderson Kids. Interested in following a career in music, she made a demo tape for the producers of the weekly music programme Young Talent Time, which featured Dannii as a regular performer. Kylie gave her first television singing performance on the show in 1985 but was not invited to join the cast. Dannii's success overshadowed Kylie's acting achievements, until Kylie was cast in the soap opera Neighbours in 1986, as Charlene Mitchell, a schoolgirl turned garage mechanic. Neighbours achieved popularity in the UK, and a story arc that created a romance between her character and the character played by Jason Donovan, culminated in a wedding episode in 1987 that attracted an audience of 20 million British viewers. Her popularity in Australia was demonstrated when she became the first person to win four Logie Awards in one event, and the youngest recipient of the "Gold Logie" as the country's "Most Popular Television Performer", with the result determined by public vote. '1987-89: ''Kylie and Enjoy Yourself During a Fitzroy Football Club benefit concert with other Neighbours cast members, Minogue performed "I Got You Babe" as a duet with the actor John Waters, and "The Loco-Motion" as an encore, and was subsequently signed to a recording contract with Mushroom Records in 1987. Her first single, "The Loco-Motion", spent seven weeks at number one on the Australian singles charts and it became the country's highest-selling single in the 1980s. She received the ARIA Award for the year's highest-selling single. Its success resulted in Minogue travelling to England with Mushroom Records executive Gary Ashley to work with producers Stock, Aitken & Waterman. They knew little of Minogue and had forgotten that she was arriving so wrote "I Should Be So Lucky" while she waited outside the studio. The song reached number one in the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Finland, Switzerland, Israel and Hong Kong. Minogue won her second consecutive ARIA Award for the year's highest-selling single, and received a "Special Achievement Award". Minogue's debut album, Kylie was released in July 1988. The album was a collection of dance-oriented pop tunes and it spent more than a year on the UK Albums Chart, including several weeks at number one. The album went gold in the United States, and the single, "The Loco-Motion", reached number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and number one on the Canadian Singles Chart. Follow-up singles from the album sold well, including "Got to Be Certain", her third consecutive number one single on the Australian music charts. Later in the year, she left Neighbours to focus on her music career. Minogue also collaborated with Jason Donovan for the song "Especially For You". It peaked at number-one in the United Kingdom and in December 2014 it sold its one millionth copy in the UK. Minogue was sometimes referred to as "the Singing Budgie" by her detractors over the coming years, implying that she can't sing very well; but Kylie embraced it and performed as the singing budgie, determined to "prove them wrong...and to do it for herself". Minogue's second album Enjoy Yourself was released in October 1989. The album was a success in the United Kingdom, Europe, New Zealand, Asia and Australia. The album spawned number one singles "Hand on Your Heart" and "Tears on My Pillow". However, the album failed to sell well throughout North America, and Minogue was dropped by her American record label Geffen Records. She then embarked on her first concert tour, the Enjoy Yourself Tour, in the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia and Australia in February 1990. She was also one of the featured vocalists on the remake of "Do They Know It's Christmas?". Her debut film, The Delinquents was released in December 1989. The movie was poorly received by critics but it proved popular with audiences. In the UK it grossed more than £200,000, and in Australia, it was the fourth-highest grossing local film of 1989 and the highest grossing local film of 1990. '1990-92: ''Rhythm of Love and ''Let's Get to It Minogue's third album, ''Rhythm of Love was released in November 1990. The album presented a more sophisticated and adult style of dance music and also marked the first signs of her rebellion against her production team and the "girl-next-door" image. Minogue began taking more control over her music videos, determined to be accepted by as more mature audience, starting with "Better the Devil You Know", presenting herself as a sexually aware adult. Her relationship with Michael Hutchence was also seen as part of her departure from her earlier persona. The singles from Rhythm of Love sold well in Europe and Australia. She then later embarked on the Rhythm of Love Tour in February 1991. Minogue's fourth album, Let's Get to It was released in October 1991 and it reached number 15 on the UK Albums Chart. It was her first album to fail to reach the top ten. While the first single from the album, "Word Is Out" became her first single to miss the top ten of the UK Singles Chart, though subsequent singles "If You Were with Me Now" and "Give Me Just a Little More Time" reached the top five respectively. In support of the album, she embarked on the Let's Get to It Tour in October. She had fulfilled the requirements of her contract and elected not to renew it. She later expressed her opinion that she was stifled by Stock, Aitken and Waterman, and said, "I was very much a puppet in the beginning. I was blinkered by my record company. I was unable to look left or right." Minogue's first Greatest Hits album was released in August 1992. It reached number one in the United Kingdom and number three in Australia. The singles from the album, "What Kind of Fool (Heard All That Before" and her cover version of Kool & the Gang's "Celebration" both reached the top twenty of the UK Singles Chart. '1993-98: ''Kylie Minogue and Impossible Princess Minogue's signing with Deconstruction Records was highly touted in the music media as the beginning of a new phase in her career. Her fifth album Kylie Minogue was released in September 1994 which sold well in Europe and Australia. It was produced by dance music producers the Brothers In Rhythm, namely Dave Seaman and Steve Anderson who had previously produced Finer Feelings, her last single with PWL. Anderson remains Minogue's musical director to this day. The lead single "Confide in Me" spent four weeks at number one on Australian singles chart. The next two singles from the album "Put Yourself in My Place" and "Where Is the Feeling?" reached the top twenty of the UK Singles Chart, while the album peaked at number four on the UK Albums Chart, eventually selling 250,000 copies. During this period, Minogue made a guest appearance as herself, in an episode of the comedy The Vicar of Dibley. Director Steven E. de Souza was intrigued by Minogue's cover photo in Australia's Who Magazine as one of "The 30 Most Beautiful People in the World", and offered her a role opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme in the film Street Fighter. The film was a moderate success, earning US$70 million in the US, but received poor reviews with The Washington Post's Richard Harrington calling Minogue "the worst actress in the English-speaking world". She then co-starred with Pauly Shore and Stephen Baldwin in the 1996 film Bio-Dome. She also appeared in the 1995 short film, Hayride to Hell and in the 1997 film Diana & Me. In 1995, Minogue collaborated with Australian artist Nick Cave for the song "Where the Wild Roses Grow". Cave had been interested in working with Minogue since hearing "Better the Devil You Know", saying it contained "one of pop music's most violent and distressing lyrics". The music video for the song was inspired by John Everett Millais's painting Ophelia (1851–1852), and showed Minogue as the murdered woman, floating in a pond as a serpent swam over her body. The single received widespread attention in Europe, where it reached the top 10 in several countries, and number two in Australia. The song won ARIA Awards for "Song of the Year" and "Best Pop Release". By 1997, Minogue was in a relationship with the French photographer Stéphane Sednaoui, who encouraged her to develop her creativity. Inspired by a mutual appreciation of Japanese culture, they created a visual combination of "geisha and manga superheroine" for the photographs taken for Minogue's sixth album Impossible Princess and the video for "GBI (German Bold Italic)", Minogue's collaboration with Towa Tei. She drew inspiration from the music of artists such as Shirley Manson and Garbage, Björk, Tricky and U2, and Japanese pop musicians such as Pizzicato Five and Towa Tei. The album featured collaborations with musicians such as James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore of the Manic Street Preachers. Mostly a dance album, Minogue countered suggestions that she was trying to become an indie artist. Acknowledging that she had attempted to escape the perceptions of her that had developed during her early career, she commented that she was ready to "forget the painful criticism" and "accept the past, embrace it, use it". The music video for "Did It Again" paid homage to her earlier incarnations. Retitled Kylie Minogue in the UK following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, it became the lowest-selling album of her career. At the end of the year a campaign by Virgin Radio stated, "We've done something to improve Kylie's records: we've banned them." In Australia, the album was a success where it spent 35 weeks on the album chart. Minogue's Intimate and Live tour of 1998 was extended due to demand. The Victorian Premier, Jeff Kennett, hosted a civic reception for Minogue in Melbourne, and she maintained her high profile in Australia with live performances, including the 1998 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, the opening ceremonies of Melbourne's Crown Casino, and Sydney's Fox Studios in 1999, where she performed Marilyn Monroe's "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend", and a Christmas concert in Dili, East Timor, in association with the United Nations Peace-Keeping Forces. During this time she filmed a small role for the Australian-made Molly Ringwald 2000 film Cut. '1999-2004: ''Light Years, Fever and ''Body Language After Minogue parted ways with Deconstruction Records, she performed a duet with the Pet Shop Boys' on their Nightlife album and spent several months in Barbados performing in Shakespeare's The Tempest. She then appeared in the film Sample People and recorded a cover version of Russell Morris's "The Real Thing" for the soundtrack. In April 1999, she signed with Parlophone Records. Parlophone wanted to re-establish Minogue as the pop artist they felt she essentially was, but that had been lost. In September 2000, Minogue released her seventh studio album, ''Light Years. The album was a collection of dance songs, influenced by disco music. It generated strong reviews and was successful throughout Australia, Asia, Europe and New Zealand. The lead single "Spinning Around" became her first number one in the United Kingdom in ten years, and its accompanying video featured Minogue in revealing gold hot pants, which came to be regarded as a "trademark". The second single, "On a Night Like This" reached number one in Australia and number two in the United Kingdom. "Kids", a duet with Robbie Williams, also peaked at number two in the United Kingdom. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics closing ceremony, Minogue performed ABBA's "Dancing Queen" and her single "On a Night Like This". She then embarked on the On a Night Like This Tour, which played to sell-out crowds in Australia and the United Kingdom. The tour incorporated Burlesque and theatre and cited the style of Broadway shows such as 42nd Street, films such as Anchors Aweigh, South Pacific, the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musicals of the 1930s and the live performances of Bette Midler. She was praised for her new material and her reinterpretations of some of her greatest successes. She won a "Mo Award" for Australian live entertainment as "Performer of the Year". She also appeared in the 2001 film, Moulin Rouge! as "The Green Fairy". In October 2001, she released her eighth studio album Fever. The album contained disco elements combined with 1980s electropop and synthpop. It reached number one in Australia, United Kingdom, and throughout Europe, eventually achie worldwide sales in excess of eight million. The album's lead single "Can't Get You Out of My Head" became the biggest success of her career, reaching number one in more than forty countries and sold over 5 million copies. She won four ARIA Awards including a "Most Outstanding Achievement" award, and two Brit Awards, for "Best international female solo artist" and "Best international album". Following extensive airplay by American radio, Capitol Records released the song and the album Fever in the US in 2002. The album debuted on the Billboard 200 albums chart at number three, and "Can't Get You out of My Head" reached number seven on the Hot 100. The subsequent singles "In Your Eyes", "Love at First Sight" and "Come into My World" were successful throughout the world, and Minogue established a presence in the mainstream North American market, particularly in the club scene. She followed the success of the album by touring the United States with the Jingle Ball festival. In April 2002, Minogue embarked on the KylieFever2002 tour which became her biggest production she had put on to date. Later that year, she worked in a voice role on the animated film The Magic Roundabout, which was released in 2005 in Europe. In 2003, she received a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Dance Recording" for "Love at First Sight", and the following year won the same award for "Come into My World". In November 2003, Minogue released her ninth studio album Body Language following an invitation-only concert, titled Money Can't Buy, at the Hammersmith Apollo in London. The album downplayed the disco style and was inspired by 1980s artists such as Scritti Politti, The Human League, Adam and the Ants and Prince, blending their styles with elements of hip hop. The sales of the album were lower than anticipated after the success of Fever, though the first single, "Slow", was a number-one hit in the United Kingdom and Australia. The album released two more singles, "Red Blooded Woman" and "Chocolate". In the US, "Slow" reached number-one on the club chart and it received a Grammy Award nomination in the Best Dance Recording category. While Body Language achieved first week sales of 43,000 and declined significantly in the second week. In November 2004, she released her second official greatest hits album entitled Ultimate Kylie. The album yielded two singles "I Believe in You" and "Giving You Up". "I Believe in You" was later nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of "Best Dance Recording". '2005-09: ''Showgirl and X' In March 2005, Minogue commenced her Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour. After performing in Europe, she travelled to Melbourne, where she was diagnosed with breast cancer and was forced to cancel the tour. She resumed the tour in November 2006 with a performance in Sydney. Her dance routines had been reworked to accommodate her medical condition, and slower costume changes and longer breaks were introduced between sections of the show to conserve her strength. The media reported that Minogue performed energetically, with the Sydney Morning Herald describing the show as an "extravaganza" and "nothing less than a triumph". In November 2007, Minogue released her tenth studio album and much-discussed "comeback" album, ''Z. The electro-styled album included contributions from Guy Chambers, Cathy Dennis, Bloodshy & Avant and Calvin Harris.[ The album received some criticism for the triviality of its subject matter in light of Minogue's experiences with breast cancer. X and the lead single, "2 Hearts" entered at number one on the Australian albums and singles charts respectively. In the United Kingdom, X initially attracted lukewarm sales, although its commercial performance eventually improved. Follow-up singles from the album, "In My Arms" and "Wow" both peaked inside the top ten of the UK Singles Chart. In the US, the album was nominated at the 2009 Grammy Awards for Best Electronic/Dance Album. In addition for the promotion of her album, Minogue was featured in White Diamond, a documentary filmed during 2006 and 2007 as she resumed her Showgirl Homecoming Tour. She appeared in The Kylie Show, which featured her performances as well as comedy sketches with Mathew Horne, Dannii Minogue, Jason Donovan and Simon Cowell. She co-starred in the 2007 Doctor Who Christmas special episode, "Voyage of the Damned", as Astrid Peth. The episode was watched with 13.31 million viewers, which was the show's highest viewing figures since 1979. In May 2008, Minogue embarked on the European leg of the KylieX2008 tour, which was her most expensive tour to date with production costs of £10 million. The tour was generally acclaimed and sold well. In July, she was officially invested by The Prince of Wales as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. She also won the "Best International Female Solo Artist" award at the 2008 BRIT Awards. In September, she made her Middle East debut as the headline act at the opening of Atlantis, The Palm, an exclusive hotel resort in Dubai, and from November, she continued with her KylieX2008 tour, taking the show to cities across South America, Asia and Australia. The tour visited 21 countries, and was considered a success, with ticket sales estimated at $70,000,000. The tour continued to run until August 2009. In 2009, Minogue hosted the BRIT Awards with James Corden and Mathew Horne. She then embarked on the For You, For Me tour which was her first North American concert tour, bringing her tour in the US and Canada. She was also featured in the Hindi movie, Blue, performing an A. R. Rahman song. '2010-12: ''Aphrodite and The Abbey Road Sessions In July 2010, Minogue released her eleventh studio album, Aphrodite.The album featured Stuart Price as the executive producer who also contributed to song writing along with Minogue, Calvin Harris, Jake Shears, Nerina Pallot, Pascal Gabriel and Kish Mauve. The album received favourable reviews from critics and it debuted at number-one in the United Kingdom, exactly twenty two years after her first number one hit in the United Kingdom. The album's lead single, "All the Lovers", was a success and it became her thirty-third top ten single in the United Kingdom, though subsequent singles from the album, "Get Outta My Way", "Better Than Today", and "Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)", failed to reach the top ten of the UK Singles Chart. However, all the singles released from the album have topped the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. Minogue also recorded a duet with synthpop duo Hurts on their song "Devotion", which was included on the group's album Happiness. She was then featured as a featuring artist on Taio Cruz's single "Higher". To conclude her recordings in 2010, she released the extended play A Kylie Christmas, which included covers of Christmas songs such as "Let It Snow" and "Santa Baby". In 2011, Minogue embarked on the Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour, travelling to Europe, North America, Asia, Australia and Africa. The tour became her biggest tour to date with over 100 personnel. It was greeted with positive reviews, praising the concept. In 2012, Minogue began a year-long celebration for her 25 years in the music industry, which was often known as "K25". The anniversary started with her embarking on the Anti Tour, which featured b-sides, demos and rarities from her music catalogue. She then released the single "Timebomb" in May, the greatest hits compilation album, The Best of Kylie Minogue in June and the singles box-set, K25 Time Capsule in October. Along with this, she performed at various events around the world, including Sydney Mardi Gras, Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee Concert, and BBC Proms in the Park London 2012. Minogue also released the compilation album, The Abbey Road Sessions in October 2012. The album contained reworked and orchestral versions of her previous songs. It was recorded at London's Abbey Road Studios and was produced by Steve Anderson and Colin Elliot. The album received favourable reviews from music critics and it debuted at number-two in the United Kingdom. The album spawned two singles, "Flower" and "On a Night Like This". Minogue also starred in two films; a cameo appearance in the American independent film Jack & Diane and a lead role in the French film Holy Motors. Jack & Diane opened at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival on 20 April 2012, while Holy Motors opened at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. '2013-present: ''The Voice and ''Kiss Me Once In January 2013, Minogue and her manager Terry Blamey, whom she had worked with since the start of her singing career, parted ways. The following month, she was signed to Roc Nation for a management deal. In June, she released the buzz single "Skirt" for her then-upcoming twelfth studio album, which hit number one on the US Dance Charts; however it did not appear on the album. In September, she was featured on Italian singer-songwriter Laura Pausini's single "Limpido", which was a number-one hit in Italy and has received a nomination for "World's Best Song" at the 2013 World Music Awards. In the same month, she was hired as a coach for the third series of BBC One's talent competition The Voice UK for one season, alongside record producer and Black Eyed Peas member, will.i.am, Kaiser Chiefs' lead singer Ricky Wilson and pop singer Sir Tom Jones. Minogue's first episode on the show as a judge aired in January 2014. In November 2013, she was hired as a coach for the third season of The Voice Australia. In March 2014, Minogue released her 12th studio album, ''Kiss Me Once. The album featured contributions from Sia Furler, Mike Del Rio, Cutfather, Pharell Williams, MNEK and Ariel Rechtshaid. It peaked at number one in Australia and number two in the United Kingdom. The singles from the album, "Into the Blue" and "I Was Gonna Cancel", did not chart inside the top ten of the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 12 and number 59. In August, Minogue performed at the closing ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games. In September 2014, Minogue embarked on the Kiss Me Once Tour. She is set to appear in the 2015 disaster film, San Andreas, alongside Dwayne Johnson. Minogue is scheduled to continue her Kiss me Once Tour in her native Australia in March 2015, performing five shows only. She was named "Australian of the Year" in 2015 for the UK, and is set to appear at Haydock Park and Hyde Park in June 2015 for performances. Discography * Kylie (1988) * Enjoy Yourself (1989) * Rhythm of Love (1990) * Let's Get to It (1991) * Kylie Minogue (1994) * Impossible Princess (1997) * Light Years (2000) * Fever (2001) * Body Language (2003) * X (2007) * Aphrodite (2010) * Kiss Me Once (2014) * Kylie Christmas ''(2015) * ''Kylie Christmas: Snow Queen Edition (2016) * Golden (2018) Tours and concerts * Disco in Dream (1989) * Enjoy Yourself Tour (1990) * Rhythm of Love Tour (1991) * Let's Get to It Tour (1991) * Intimate and Live (1998) * On a Night Like This Tour (2001) * KylieFever2002 (2002) * Money Can't Buy (2003) * Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour (2005) * Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour (2006–07) * The Kylie Show (2007) * KylieX2008 (2008–09) * For You, For Me (2009) * Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour (2011) * Anti Tour (2012) * iTunes Festival (2014) * Kiss Me Once Tour (2014-15) * Kylie Summer 2015 (2015) * A Kylie Christmas (2015-16) * Kylie Presents Golden (2018) * Golden Tour (2018-19) * Summer 2019 (2019) Official Account * Kylie Minogue Instagram * Kylie Minogue Twitter * Kylie Minogue Facebook * Kylie Minogue on Youtube * Kylie Minogue Official website * Kylie Minogue on Insstar.com * Kylie Minogue on Buzzcent.com * Kylie Minogue on Insstars.com * Kylie Minogue on Instagweb.com Category:Kylie Ann Minogue